For our 2023 winter trip, we headed for Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas to see migrating winter waterfowl and western birds. 2023 has been an epic year for snow in the area with over 300 inches and counting.
A month before our trip, we subscribed to eBird alerts for the counties we planned to visit. Our first stop, near the Salt Lake City Airport, was the Jordan River Parkway, located behind several industrial businesses, where we hoped to find a reported Long-tailed Duck. We trudged through two feet of fresh snow and observed 17 bird species, including Barrow’s and Common Goldeneyes. Although we missed the Long-tailed Duck during our initial visit, we were fortunate to spot it on the final day of our birding trip.
Our next stop was Lee Kay Ponds, located near a landfill, which is typically good for birdwatching. There, we spotted hundreds of gulls, Northern Pintails, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Mergansers in their breeding plumage. Bountiful Pond was another excellent stop, where we observed White-crowned Sparrows and Song Sparrows.
Antelope Island State Park is located on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake and is a popular spot for birders. The park is home to a variety of waterfowl, as well as birds of prey and songbirds. The causeway had thousands of Northern Shovelers and Green-wing Teals and a lone Cinamon Teal. Whenever we see a report of one bird among thousands of others, we wonder how they spot it. Now we know, the different ones can really stand out. While driving through the park, we saw our first Black-billed Magpie of the trip and 100 Horned Larks. The sight of bison against the backdrop of snow and mountains is breathtaking.
Park City, Utah
Park City is a beautiful city in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. It is a popular ski destination and also for outdoor enthusiasts, including birders. We contacted a couple of E-birders in the area to help find some of the best hotspots. Wendy Sandborn provided great tips for spotting birds in Rockport Reservoir State Park. Some highlights are Stellar’s Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Chickadee, and 20 Evening Grosbeaks. Just as Wendy predicted, we saw a pair of Golden Eagles toward the end of the road as we approached Cedar Point. The Eagles were flying together, and we watched them copulate in a tree on the cliffs.
Near the Utah Olympic Park, we saw our first Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay and a Rough-legged Hawk. A drive through the neighborhoods of Pinebrook netted our only life bird of the trip, the Bohemian Waxwing.
Daniels Summit
On our way to Daniels Summit, we stopped at Rock Cliffs State Park and added Red-tailed Hawk and Common Raven. Next was Deer Creek North Shore, and we saw 40 Eurasian Collared-Doves, several beautiful House Finches, and a nice Cooper’s Hawk. We passed many deer and elk on our drive and may have seen a Pinyon Jay on a bridge railing. The bird was all blue, but a truck flushed it, so we cannot add it to our list and will keep looking.
With its stunning scenery and abundance of trails, Daniels Summit is the perfect destination for snowmobiling enthusiasts of all levels. We stayed at the Daniels Summit Lodge, and we had Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees right outside our room. The restaurant on the premises has very good food, and we recommend the BBQ pork. You can rent snowmobiles and all the gear you may need right there. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We first rode the groomed trails of a 26-mile loop and enjoyed the terrain and falling snow. Mike went out for two more rounds and enjoyed some of the open areas for extra fun.
Salt Lake City
Monday was our final day of winter birding in Utah, and our first stop was Dimple Dell Park. All the best birds were in the neighborhoods across from the park. One house had numerous feeder stations with our target bird, Spotted Towhee. A peach tree on the same street rewarded us with a Lesser Goldfinch and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet displaying its lovely crown. We stopped for a delicious Indonesian lunch at Makanmakan Asian Street Food Fare and found two Great-tailed Grackles in the parking lot next door.
Our last birding stop of the trip was at 3200 West, north of the SLC Airport. There were several duck species and raptors. New birds included Western Meadowlark and Northern Harrier. We were surprised to get caught up in a cattle drive as we were leaving.
This was our third trip to Utah, and birdwatching in Salt Lake City and the surrounding mountains has brought our Utah life list to 107 species. We hope this blog inspires you to go birding in the Salt Lake City area and helps you discover some great places to explore.
Trip Birds: 59 Year Birds: 31 Life Birds: 1
Next Up: Spring Migration 2023
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